turn 1 of 2

1
as in to rotate
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis turned the doorknob as quietly as possible

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to swing
to change the course or direction of (something) the dog turned the stampeding flock of sheep around he turned his cart uphill

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in to deviate
to change one's course or direction we turned left at the light the storm unexpectedly turned south and missed our area

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in to become
to eventually have as a state or quality will turn 12 in six months

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
6
7
as in to depend
to be determined by, based on, or subject (to) what we do next turns on your answer to the following question

Synonyms & Similar Words

8
as in to spin
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around all the new information made his head turn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

9
as in to persuade
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge he did his best to turn his new friends against his ex-wife

Synonyms & Similar Words

turn

2 of 2

noun

1
2
3
4
5
as in bout
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder a sudden turn of dizziness that may have been brought on by a change in her medication

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

6
as in act
a performance regularly presented by an individual or group between the show's two major musical acts, there was a short turn by a juggling troupe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of turn
Verb
Instead, keep the pumpkin intact and turn the outside into a gourd-geous creation that will last. Cody Godwin, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025 Within months, the dot-com boom had collapsed, turning Marks into one of Wall Street's most respected voices. Yun Li, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
The role, a dramatic turn for Johnson, had early awards season buzz until audiences snubbed the film. Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025 Instead, not one single person was ready for the turn this interview quickly takes. Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for turn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn
Verb
  • The brewery boasts an expansive outdoor seating area, plenty of delicious flagship brews, and a rotating events calendar of open mics and karaoke.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Deadline understands titles will rotate every eight weeks on average.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Tucker swung through it once again.
    Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Using the black nubuck base seen on 1990s looks including the black/red Playoffs and the Aqua colorway, the early 2000s Chrome look deviated from the colorful accents seen on those styles.
    Riley Jones, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Occurring more than halfway through the performance, the scene is used to introduce the tragic backstory of the Phantom character at a freak show — a new narrative deviating from the original source material.
    Devon Ivie, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Wolff himself had a winding career before becoming top brass for Mercedes’ F1 team.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
  • For them, local self-government has become a fortress, and the drawbridge is up.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • At the back of a buzzy canteen, there are a pair of meeting spaces, whose names revolve with the latest academy players to have started a Premier League game for Newcastle.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is celebrated to honor the lives of ancestors and acknowledge the ever-revolving cycle of life and death.
    Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Entering his first full offseason, Seidler may want to ponder a comment made a few years ago by Peter Seidler, his late brother.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025
  • In the book, Keaton reflected on modern standards of beauty, pondering the societal obsession with how things look.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Whether those come or not, Dallas’ success likely depends on Prescott, Lamb, Pickens and the rest of the offense.
    Jon Machota, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • By comparing two types of borosilicate glass, one containing magnesium and one without, the team discovered that the diffusion of boron atoms depends strongly on the glass composition and the time it has been exposed to water.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Jones appeared to target Bourne, who spun the opposite way of Jones’ throw.
    Cam Inman, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
  • There are few cities in the world with the same head-spinning array of top-tier hotels as Venice.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on turn

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!